Microblading Tools – Essentials & Accessories
Learn everything about essential microblading tools and accessories, how to use them, and see our top product picks to try out.
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If you’re an experienced artist or someone who’s just stepping into the world of microblading, having the right set of tools for your procedures is your most important investment.
Quality supplies are essential to delivering professional and long-lasting results and knowing which products to buy is a must for keeping your procedures efficient and your clients happy.
To help you better understand the different types of microblading tools and accessories available on the market today, we’ve put together this in-depth guide, plus some of our product recommendations to get you started.
Please Note
In this guide, we will only talk about disposable and multi-use tools. Liquid products like pigments and numbing creams will be covered in their own guides.
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Essential Tools for Microblading
Microblading essentials are the tools you need to actually perform the procedure on your clients, and this includes microblades, shading needles for combo brows (unless you also do machine shading), and ink cups for your pigments.
Microblades
Microblades are the most important tools in your microblading kit.
When we say microblades, we’re primarily referring to disposable microblading tools since this is what most artists use, but know that you can also buy the blades separately and use them with an independent holder.
But regardless of whether you’re using a pre-made tool or you’re assembling the blade+holder combo yourself, what you’re using is a handheld, pen-shaped tool that consists of a handle and a blade at their tip which is used to make hair-like strokes on your client’s brows.
The tool is held similarly to a pencil, but at a specific angle against the skin, and it’s dragged through it at a specific depth. Depending on the shape of the stroke you want to create, you can rotate it slightly as you’re dragging.
Microblades come in different configurations, different types, sizes, and thicknesses. And with so many factors that come into play when choosing your perfect microblade, things can easily get confusing.
But as you’re trying out different blades, you’ll figure it all out.
For more information, head over to our detailed guide through microblades.
One thing you have to remember is that the best microblading tools are the ones that give you the strokes you want and that you find easy and comfortable to use.
Still, here’s a couple of our recommendations we feel are worth trying out:
Shading Needles
We can’t talk about the best microblading tools without mentioning microshading needles. They are an essential tool to have in your microblading arsenal for creating a combo brow look.
They are also used with holders, so you’re working with a pen-shaped tool, but they are used differently from microblades. With shading needles, you poke the skin in an up-and-down motion, instead of dragging.
Shading needles are actually made up of clusters of various numbers of needles, and that number determines how large an area will be shaded with a single poke. They can also be flat or round shaders that are attached to a universal holder.
Here’s our selection of shaders:
Ink Cups & Ring Holders
Although they’re tiny and disposable, ink cups and ring holders are one of the absolute essentials for any microblading procedure – it’s where you keep the pigment into which you dip your blade.
Cups can be attached to a ring, free-standing, or have a sticker at their bottom so you can stick them onto your glove while you’re working.
They may or may not have lids, and they may or may not have a sponge inside the cup that prevents pigment from spilling.
Try out different forms of pigment cups and see what you like best. Ring holders are a good place to start as they’re a bit more convenient for microblading since you don’t have to move around with your blade to dip it in the pigment.
The small, multipurpose pots can also be used to mix pigments or store your topical anesthetics and aftercare products.
Let’s take a look at our pigment holder top picks:
Microblading Accessories
Now that we’ve covered the most essential microblading tools to have for your procedures, let’s take a look at some indispensable accessories for eyebrow mapping, pigment mixing, and more.
Mapping Tools
The base for every successful microblading procedure is creating the perfect map to follow for shaping your client’s eyebrows. But which tool you’ll use to calculate this outline is up to you.
There’s a variety of eyebrow mapping tools available, and they work in more or less the same way: calipers and compasses are both used to measure and transfer distances between key points used in brow mapping.
There are also brow rulers that you stick onto the client’s skin. Stencils are another option, but you have to be careful with them because you still need to customize the shape for your client.
If you are a beginner microblader, the best tool to use for mapping is a caliper, but if you have more experience, you can use a compass to give your clients perfectly symmetric brows.
Here are our picks for the most useful eyebrow mapping tools:
Outlining Pencils & Markers
To mark in the shape of your client’s eyebrows before microblading, you will need an outlining pencil or marker that doesn’t smudge.
They come in a variety of colors and sizes, so you can easily find the right one for you. Outlining your client’s brows can be helpful not just for working within the lines, but also in giving your clients an idea of what the final shape will look like.
Try both pencils and markers, and see what works better for you.
Here’s a couple of our recommendations:
Mapping String: 2-in-1 for Brow Mapping
Brow mapping string is a special mapping product (and a favorite of so many artists) because it allows you to both measure distances and draw on an outline.
It is a handy little product to try if you’re tired of dealing with bulky calipers, but know that it takes some time to master. It comes pre-tinted to help you map out your client’s brows much quicker.
Here’s more information about mapping strings and a list of top 5 picks.
Here’s a good pick:
Pigment Mixers
When talking about microblading tools and accessories, we have to mention a small but very handy device called the pigment mixer.
Pigment mixers are used, as the name suggests, to mix different pigments and create a custom color for each client. They don’t take up a lot of space plus they are wireless so you can basically use them anytime, anywhere.
You can find more information about how pigment mixers are used in this article.
Here are some of our top pigment mixer recommendations:
Magnifying Glasses
Let’s face it, everyone’s eyes get tired when doing precise work like microblading for hours on end.
Since microblading requires perfect measurements, your vision should be crisp and clear, and to help you achieve that there are various magnifying glasses on the market.
The design of these glasses is fairly simple and they usually have an integrated LED light to help you see the eyebrow area in more detail and depth.
You can find more information about magnifying glasses in this article.
Let’s take a look at some of the best quality magnifying glasses for microblading:
Microbrushes
Microbrushes are truly a multi-purpose tool for many PMU procedures, and microblading is no exception.
They can be used to apply numbing cream to the eyebrow area before microblading, aftercare after microblading, or for pigment masking – coating the treated area with pigments after the first pass.
Q-Tips
Q-tips are just something you need to have in your salon and probably the thing you run out of the most.
They can be used for different things like numbing cream application, but their most common use is for cleaning your client’s eyebrows.
You can use a q-tip to rid your client’s brows of makeup residue before the procedure and to clean pigment residue after the treatment.
Whenever you need to clean something off with precision, you need a q-tip.
Cotton Pads
If, on the other hand, you need to clean a larger amount of a product from a larger area, you’ll probably reach for a cotton round.
These are useful for cleaning pigment off between passes or at the end of the procedure, but they’re used in about a million different ways in a microblading salon.
Alcohol Pads
You need to have a large stock of disinfectant pads or wipes to provide your clients with the safest possible treatment.
They are used to clean the skin before the blading process and kill as many bacteria as possible off the client’s eyebrows, which will reduce the risk of infection.
Working on clean skin is the number one rule of microblading if you want to avoid any complications.
Gloves
Last but definitely not least, a microblading accessory that starts off your preparation and stays with you until the end of the procedure – gloves.
Since you are working with sharp tools that can cause bleeding, you must always wear gloves for both your and your client’s safety.
Latex-free gloves would be the best option because you never know if your client has a latex allergy and you want to stay as comfortable as possible.
Other Hygienic Supplies
On top of disposable microblading tools we’ve already mentioned, there’s additional hygienic supplies you need to make sure your salon meets the sanitary requirement and that all safety protocols are followed.
This includes disinfectants and protective covering.
If you need more information about these supplies, here’s a checklist.
Microblading Tools – Main Takeaways
The best microblading tools that work for you can be hard to find, especially when you don’t know which items are essential to have in your salon.
Investing in a microblade and needles that will make you feel confident when performing your service is the most important thing, but your product search doesn’t end there.
From disposables like microbrushes and gloves to accessories like mapping tools and pigment mixers, these are all products that can make or break your service, so choose the ones that suit your and your client’s needs best.
LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOLS & PRODUCTS FOR MICROBLADING
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